Introducing Ad Fontes, Renaissance Playing cards, featuring hand-painted imagery by artist Ritu Bhattacharya.

Ad Fontes, meaning, “back to the source” in Latin, was a closely held belief for Martin Luther, among many others. Luther believed that old Greek sources were more important than the Pope’s word, which led him to become the father of Lutheranism.

This project was planned with the idea to create a deck of cards to tell the story of the Renaissance. To add a layer of authenticity, these cards were drawn using prevalent artistic techniques from the era. Also, the old paper-like appearance harks back to earlier knowledge and doctrines.

KickStarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nova-lux-decks/ad-fontes-renaissance-playing-card-deck

Full Deck Scan by Cardtograher MacStrat

Kickstarter Campaign Page

The ornate tuck box of the Minstrel Edition features the bright and mischievous musician playing his lute, while the back frames the mighty lion relaxed upon his throne.

Minstrel Silver edition decks are designed to be a special, cherished item. They include the same premium features as the limited edition decks and also come finished with gilded silver metallic edges and embossed silver foil stamped lettering and embellishments.

Silver Edition decks are a Kickstarter exclusive. When the campaign is over, they’ll be gone.

The Minstrel Silver Edition Deck

• Gilded silver metallic card edges
• Silver foil lettering and embellishments
• Embossed lettering and embellishments
• Debossed character windows on the front and back of the tuck box
• Cards printed on premium 310 gsm, black core stock
• High-quality casino-grade paper with a linen finish
• State-of-the-art offset CMYK printing
• Full-color interior tuck box printing
• Laminated tuck box

It seems that everyone is either an inventor or knows an inventor. We all appreciate the story behind a cool invention. That's why each card includes an amazing illustration and information about the invention, including the inventor's name, the patent title, the patent date, and the patent number. I'll show you how to easily look-up patents so you can read the full document--and see the other illustrations--if you want to learn more.

Back in 2011, I launched a successful Kickstarter campaign for the coffee table art book The Art of the Patent, which honors the incredible artwork created by patent illustrators over the last 220+ years. The Blue Deck, which represents patents from this book with some of history's best patent artwork, is already designed and ready to go to the printers.

Full deck scan by macstrat @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/167981955@N07/sets/72157707315835024

Full Deck Scan: https://cardscans.piwigo.com/index?/category/1097-eastern_forest

Entwined - Vol. 2: Fall is the second of the four-deck series based on the ballet of nature and the freedom of spirit.

Each card has been meticulously hand-drawn by the artist, taking inspiration from ballet, and then entwining it with nature. The face cards have tried to capture the splendor of Autumn when everything turns scarlet and gold. Each dancer is coupled with the grace of an animal or bird symbolizing the symbiosis between the soul and nature’s spirit.